My daughter has a 2001 Chrysler Sebring that she bought from her former college roommate’s father about a year and a half ago. A month or so before she bought it, the car was in a crash with a deer and had front end damage. They had it repaired at a body shop. Recently, the paint on the front of the car has started peeling off. The repair was in New Jersey and we live in Ohio. She has had trouble making contact with her old roommate to see where the repair was done and if there was any kind of applicable warranty. I’m wondering if there is anything we can do cheaply to keep the peeling from spreading? The car already has some oil pressure problems, so its future is in some doubt anyway. She’s a poor grad student who doesn’t have any extra money. If we do nothing will the peeling continue to get worse? Thanks for any advice.
How much warranty is reasonable? I can recall numerous Chrysler/Mitsubishi automobiles of about that age with the paint cracking & peeling off the plastic bumper/spoiler that is notorious for dragging when entering driveways and crossing speed bumps. The car is aging and declining. Money can be spent to keep it beautiful or that money can be saved to keep the car running and to replace the car when it is no longer worthwhile to repair.
Regarding how much warranty is reasonable, I think a paint job should last more than a year and a half. That might be a moot point, since the job was done so far away and the car has changed ownership. The cracking and peeling have nothing to do with dragging when entering driveways and crossing speed bumps, as it is higher up on the front of the car. I’ve tried to attach a photo. We’ll see if I did so successfully. Our concern is not so much keeping it beautiful. We’re worried that the paint peeling will increase if we do nothing. She’s going off to school in snowy northeast Ohio. Will the car start to rust because of this? Is there anything we can do to help this? Thanks.
This looks like a very poor paint job. Painting the plastic fenders isn’t easy. If the prep is not done correctly, the wrong paint used, and/or improper drying before second coats you can have a mess just like yours. Just painting on a day that is too humid can mess up a paint job.
My feeling is a good body shop would own up to the bad job and repaint the bumper. If you aren’t close to the body shop that did the work you are kind of stuck “between a rock and a hard place” on this one.
“she bought from her former college roommate’s father about a year and a half ago. A month or so before she bought it, the car was in a crash with a deer and had front end damage. They had it repaired at a body shop. Recently, the paint on the front of the car has started peeling off. The repair was in New Jersey and we live in Ohio.”
You lose…Case closed…Next…
I suspect they didn’t use a higher cost flex agent in the paint when they painted the plastic bumper. Most places I think will give a one year but the reality is forget it because you aren’t going to go from Ohio to NJ for a $200 repaint job. Leaving it won’t hurt or help a thing. If you want it to look a little better, sand the edges of the peel and use Dupli-color rattle can on it to touch it up.
I agree with those that suggest that the paint was not proprely prepared with the plasticizer. Yes, it’ll probably peel more, but the bumper cover is plastic so you need not worry about rust.
To get it corrected I’d suggest getting a quote from MAACO. Others will disagree, but in my experience they do a decent job for a modest price, and are great for this type of repair.
Thanks for all of the HELPFUL responses. I will let my daughter decide what, if anything, she wants to do with this.
The peeling will probably continue, so for $140 Hide it and look cool at the same time
http://www.carbras.com/40123_dodgechryslercarbras.asp
http://www.carbras.com/images/FileManager/12947/EImage/PR1429.jpg
Hey, good idea, I hadn’t thought of a car bra. I’ll look into it. Thanks.
I wouldn’t worry about rust forming on the plastic. If you can live with the aesthetics, your glass is half full.
Thanks for the pic. First, you most likely are out of luck since the vehicle has changed hands. At our shop the paint warranty does not transfer to a different owner.
Second, I would not automatically condemn the shop and say they did a bad job. Obviously the best paint job is the factory applied paint and while a shop may do a great job it is not as good as factory.
It is very possible they did a great job but there are factors that no one can control. One would be normal highway rocks kicked up and hitting your bumper. A good eye can detect a center or nucleus. The rock can chip the clear and wind and water erosion can eat away at it until it is down to the e-coat or plastic. Also, and this happens often, is while you are at work or grocery shopping, etc., some other driver rolls up and contacts the bumper cover enough to flex it and cracks the paint even though the shop added flex agent.
I am not saying the shop is blameless but WAY TO OFTEN a shop is villianized by well intentioned people who knew someone who needed a fender 5 or 6 years ago.
But considering the distance to the shop and the fact it has oil pressure issues it might not behoove you to pursue this.
Maaco or a car bra are cheap fixs.
Any competent shop will warranty the paint work for life. The one I worked for does. It sounds like the previous owners went with the cheapest option when it came to repair, possibly a Macco special, when it comes to painting cars you get what you pay for.
As for what you can do, the bra will probably the cheapest option, don’t worry about it rusting, the bit that has the peeling paint is plastic.
It looks to me like they didn’t add “flex additive” to the paint, which they should always do when painting plastic parts. However you decide to address this, I wouldn’t go back to the same body shop. They obviously don’t know what they are doing.